Access To Legal Services

Smart Global provides, in association with global law firm, HFW, access to Legal Services to the oil trading industry.

Our legal resource consists of former BP trading lawyers, Colin Wannell and Julianne Kneen, both of whom have extensive experience of the industry both in non-contentious and contentious matters gained through working on trading floors and with front and back office teams. In particular, they can give very practical and commercially focussed transaction advice at any stage of at any time during the transaction life cycle. Please contact us on the form below should you wish to have further information on this.

Julianne Kneen

Before joining HFW, Julianne was in-house counsel at BP in South Africa, the UK and the US for over 20 years where, for the majority of that time, she specialised in international trading in support of BP is oil trading business in both the UK and the US.

Julianne has experience of many non-contentious and contentious matters in the oil trading sector, including the negotiation of long term crude oil and petroleum products offtake and supply contracts in many diverse jurisdictions in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, across Europe and the US; sanctions and boycotts; negotiation and settlement of contractual claims including litigation, mediation and arbitration; supporting new country entry including incorporating legal entities and licensing of new ventures; the establishment of credit facilities including guarantees, discounting, credit insurance and letters of credit; structured trade finance arrangements including pre-export finance; and the negotiation of ISDA and other master agreements for oil derivative contracts.

Julianne is dual qualified in South Africa and England and Wales.

Colin Wannell

Colin Wannell was called to the Bar in 2001 (Inner Temple) having completed his post graduate diploma in professional legal studies at the Inns of Court School of Law. Since call Colin’s practising experience was gained as an Employed Barrister working in BP’s Legal Department where he specialised in international trade law supporting BP’s London based oil trading business. Colin retired from BP in 2016 and has been a consultant to HFW's commodity practice since February 2017.

In his oil trading practice, Colin has experience of many non-contentious and contentious matters including the negotiation of long term crude oil and petroleum products offtake and supply contracts in many diverse jurisdictions in Africa, the Middle East and across Europe; negotiation and settlement of contractual claims including litigation, mediation and arbitration; supporting new country entry including incorporating legal entities and licensing of new ventures; the establishment of credit facilities including guarantees, discounting, credit insurance and letters of credit; structured trade finance arrangements including pre-export finance; and the negotiation of ISDA master agreements for oil derivative contracts.

Prior to undertaking his CPE at the College of Law in London, Colin spent the first part of his career as an insurance professional initially as a broker in the Lloyd’s market and thereafter in a number of senior roles in BP’s Insurance Department. Colin, who is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute (FCII), specialised in all classes of energy insurance. In addition to his consultancy role at HFW, Colin is currently chair of the Offshore Pollution Liability Association and is a consultant to Thorndon Holdings Limited, a Guernsey based risk management and insurance services company.

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